Research Guides

Saxophone Research Guide

Encyclopedias for Information on Instruments and Musicians:

General Music Encyclopedia:

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd ed.
New York: Grove, 2001. 29 v.
Available in print: [MUSIC REF. ML100.N48 2001]
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz.
New York: Grove, 2002. 3 v.
Available in print: [MUSIC REF.ML102.J3 N48 2001]
[Good signed articles by noted authorities-with excellent bibliographies.]
Both available on the web to UO users online through a connection by the title of the source: Grove Music Online.

Instrument Encyclopedias:

Diagram Group.
Musical Instruments of the World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia.
NY: Sterling Pub. Co., 1997.
[MUSIC REF. ML102.I5 M88 1997]

The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments.
London: Macmillan; NY: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1984. 3 v.
[MUSIC REF. ML102.I5 N48 1984]

Young, Phillip T.
The Look of Music: Rare Musical Instruments, 1500-1900.
Vancouver: Vancouver Museums & Planetarium Association, 1980.
[MUSIC ML462 .Y68]

Finding Books Using Subject Headings in the Library's Catalog:

Saxophone (for books about the instrument itself)

Add the following subheadings (your subject search would look like Saxophone - [subheading]; (common call numbers included for browsing):

If the item is not in UO Library's Catalog, or it won't be back for a while, where do you go next?
If the item is checked out from the UO Library, you can place a hold or a recall on the item.
If UO does not own the item, you can borrow materials through SUMMIT or WorldCat (if you can't find the item in SUMMIT).
For more information on these options, please see the guide to Music in Other Libraries at http://library.uoregon.edu/music/researchguides/musunion.html.

• - Bibliography [ML128.S247](For lists of books about the saxophone)
  - History
  - Instruction and Study [MT500 - 505] (For resources to teach or learn sax)
  - Methods [MT502] (Resources to teach you how to play the sax)
  - Methods (Jazz) [MT502] (The jazzer's guide to playing the sax)
  - Studies and exercises [MT505](Etudes and technique)
  Saxophone music - Discography [ML156.4.S3](use this heading by itself)(For lists of recordings of saxophone music)

Indexes to Articles about Saxophones, Saxophone Music & Saxophonists:

(Note: Many of the back issues of the paper version are located on the Music Reference Index table).

Academic Search Premier (online)
A general index that includes access to the online version of a number of music journals.

Music Index (print and online)
The source for articles on music, musicians, and society.
The paper edition of this goes back to 1949 and is found at [MUSIC REF. ML118 .M84]
(This index is also available, from 1975 to the present, on the UO Library's web, by connecting to Articles, Databases & Indexes, then choosing the alphabetical listing M for the Music Index.)
Need help using the paper edition? See the Guide to Using the Music Index

Music Article Guide
"Annotated quarterly reference guide to selected, significant signed feature articles in American music periodicals with special emphasis on the needs of school and college music educators."
Not comprehensive; indexes the publications of many music societies and organizations.
Library has: volumes from 1966-1996 (v.1-v.30)
[MUSIC REF. ML118 .M842]

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (print and online)
[MUSIC REF. ML118 .R4]
An international index to music literature, including parts of books, dissertations, as well as academic and popular articles in multiple languages.
RILM provides connections to the full text of journals that the Library owns in electronic form, as well as direct connections to the Interlibrary Loan forms, when we don't own the journal.
As with the Music Index, RILM can be found by searching under R for RILM in Articles, Databases & Indexes (on the left-hand side of the Library's web site.)

Periodicals Especially Useful for the Saxophonist:

[Note: those journals that are available in an online version have an asterisk (*) after their call number.

Instrumentalist.
Library has: volumes from 1946-present
[MUSIC ML5.I55]

Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society.
Library has: volumes from 1982-present
[MUSIC ML1.A527]

Saxophone journal.
Library has: volumes from 1985-present
[MUSIC ML975.S29]*
Also available on the web at http://www.dornpub.com/saxophonejournal.html
Note: This journal also issues master classes on compact disc by various saxophone legends. The CD's are available in the Douglass Listening Room for checkout in the Circulating CD Collection, under the call number Compact Disc CX2119- shelved with the CD's accompany serials.

The Saxophone symposium.
"Journal of the North American Saxophone Alliance."
Library has: volumes from 1976-2004 (possible future volumes)
[MUSIC ML1.S2]

Woodwind/brass & percussion.
Official publication of: the Association of Concert Bands of America (ACBA)
Library has: volumes from 1973-1985
[MUSIC ML1.W6]

Special Resources

• Bending Metal: Creating Yamaha Saxophones.
  1 videocassette (20 min.)

  - Ask for it at the Reserves/Video Desk.

• Steps to Excellence: The Saxophone with Eugene Rousseau.
  1 videocassette (75 min.)

  - Ask at the Reserves/Video Desk

• Musical Instruments
  CD-ROM Disk contains four interactive sections designed to help teach about musical instruments.
  Families of instruments shows brass, string, woodwind, keyboard, and percussion families.
  [Doug Circ CD-ROM ML460.M95 1993]

Finding the Music in the UO Library's Catalog:

I. Use the following resources for lists of published Saxophone music:

II. Use the following subject headings in UO Local Catalog to find listings of music we own. If you want printed music only, use these subjects and select Music, Printed from the Material Type drop-down menu.

To find music for multiple saxophones use:

To find music for sax and another instrument, use:

III. Search the UO Local Catalog by the composer's last name.

IV. Browse the following Call Numbers on the music shelves:

V. Ask for assistance if you have trouble finding what you are looking for.

• Gee, Harry R. Saxophone Soloists and Their Music, 1844-1985: An Annotated Bibliography.
  Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986.
  [MUSIC REF. ML128.S247 G4 1986]

  Hemke, Fred.
  A Comprehensive Listing of Saxophone Literature.
  [s.l.]: Selmer, 1975.
  [MUSIC REF. ML128.S247 H4 1975]

  Londeix, Jean-Marie.
  A Comprehensive Guide to the Saxophone Repertoire.
  Cherry Hill, NJ: Roncorp, 2003.
  [MUSIC REF. ML128.S247 L63 2003]

  Saxophone Music (for the actual scores & recordings)
  Saxophone Music (Jazz)(for transcriptions of Charlie Parker's solos, etc.)

   Saxophone Music--Saxophones (2) [music for 2 saxophones]
  Woodwind Trios--Saxophones (3) [music for 3 saxophones]
  Woodwind Quartets- Saxophones (4) [music for 4 saxophones/saxophone quartet] etc.

  Saxophone and ______ music(fill in the name of the instrument)

  M105-109 = Music for solo saxophone
  M269 = Music for saxophone and piano
  M457.2 = Saxophone Quartets
  MT500-505 = Methods books (including Jazz) for saxophone

Finding Recordings of Saxophone Music in Our Library:

I. Search print discographies in commercial publications to find information about recordings:

II. Search the following sections of the UO Local Catalog:

III. To search for just compact discs in the UO Local Catalog:

IV. UO Library's Audio Resources Online:

• Gee, Harry R.
  Saxophone Soloists and Their Music, 1844-1985: An Annotated Bibliography.
  Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986.
  [MUSIC REF. ML128.S247 G4 1986]

  Schleuter, Stanley L.
  Saxophone Recital Music: A Discography.
  Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993.
  [MUSIC REF. ML156.4.S3 S34 1993]

   

  For all of these, you can limit the list to just recordings (or scores).

   

  • • Search the performer's name as an Author (e.g. Rousseau, Eugene)
    • Search the composer's name as an Author (e.g. Ibert, Jacques)
    • Search the subject headings (listed above)

  Click on Advanced catalog search
  Click on the Call # tab
  Type in the words Compact Disc CX in the Non-LC Call# screen.

  This search should give you a list of the 16000+ compact discs we own- you can then limit by author (composer) or title or subject heading.

  The University of Oregon subscribes to a number of online audio databases, including the Classical Music Library and the Database of Recorded American Music (DRAM), which can be searched by instrument or performer, as well as by composer and title.
  To get to these resources, go to the Library's web site and click on Videos & Music, then scroll down the page to Audio Resources Online. There you will find the connections to our resources.

Web Sites of Interest to Saxophonists:

International Saxophone Home Page
A comprehensive index to web sites on the Saxophone.
It is available on the web at http://www.saxophone.org/

North American Saxophone Alliance
Information on events and competitions, publications, a listserv (participation limited to members), and links to webpages for individuals, ensembles, studios, workshops and other organizations and societies.
It is available on the web at http://www.saxalliance.org/

The Saxophone Journal
A web site maintained by the Journal that includes access to back issues, as well as current issues, of the magazine.
It's available on the web at http://www.dornpub.com/saxophonejournal.html

Other Library Resources:

CHECKLIST FOR DOING MUSIC RESEARCH at http://library.uoregon.edu//music/Teachingresources/checklist.html

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